Fingertips
by jazzmonkey
Summary: They finally, finally, found each other. After years of dancing and turning away, they decided to step into the lake together. Only to be torn apart like star-crossed lovers. Tag to 5x10 (Frozen Lake).
1. Chapter 1

**This story will be a one-shot, but in seven different parts: Sam and Callen, Nell and Eric, Kensi, Hetty, Deeks, Granger and my version of her new "mission" (A surprise guest!)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS:LA or any of its characters, plots, etc.**

1: Sam and Callen

Sam wanted to stay; he figured Deeks deserved at least that much. But, Callen insisted on leaving, and on the way home, ranted about Hetty and her actions against the team without his consent. At the bar, it had become quieter as Callen, a man of few words, quickly ran out of steam.

He was nursing a beer, "It makes sense, G. You saw them out there today."

"It doesn't mean I have to like it."

Sam chuckled, "None of us like it G, and you know it. But, you know that Hetty always has a plan. Her ulterior motives have ulterior motives."

Callen gripped his beer tighter, "We just got the team back together Sam. Deeks just got back into his rhythm, and we all know it was because of Kensi. Whether Hetty likes it or not, she put Deeks on this team to balance out Kensi, and now they need each other to work."

Sam let out a deep breath. He still doubted the Detective at times. He was, at best, like an overeager golden retriever that waited at the door every night you came home, waiting for attention. But, after Sidorov, he couldn't fault the man. Deeks needed someone to lean on, and in the process, both of his teammates fell in love.

No, they'd been in love long before that. It had been happening since Jason Wyler stepped into their case at the gym. It had been all the little undercover operations, falling into place, piece by piece until they had a story made up of different alias. An engagement ring, a house in a gated neighborhood, a hookup at a bar by the beach, a meeting at a club, an anniversary at the casino, and all the important steps in between.

Callen knew Sam was right. This was inevitable; that it would end badly. He had only been joking when he quipped, "Stuck, smitten, whatever," to her, but now, he knew there was no turning back. Deeks, officially or not, was a part of their team, and this teammate needed his partner to survive the job.

He knew what it was like to be out there, with this job, alone, with no one to talk to about it. He'd been almost relieved when Deeks and Kensi walked in this morning, blustering like little girls. Not to mention that he gained a hundred bucks from various people. But, he knew it was a long time coming.

Callen also knew that Hetty knew. There was no way that Hetty hadn't planned for this to happen all along. She was much too clever, and knew her pieces much too well to not have foreseen this. But, in all her seven-steps-ahead schemes, he had never seen her so cold heartedly tear two people away from each other.

The bartender looked over at them, "Hey, you guys need anything? Closing up shop in fifteen."

They both shook their heads. "We're good. Thanks Frank."

The older gentleman nodded, but proceeded over with two shot glasses, filled to the brimmed with whiskey. "You guys look like you could use it. On the house." He walked away, humming lightly as he did so.

Sam raised the glass just a couple centimeters off the counter, "To Kensi and Deeks," he started.

Callen nodded, "May their partnership last longer than ours."

**Jazz here; yeah, I decided to come back before the year was out. Wow, the last episode for the year was amazing...it had a good ending. Merry Late Christmas!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: LA**

2: Nell and Eric

Eric and Nell watched everything happen from the safety of their world upstairs. It was filled with so many gadgets to help protect people. Yet, at the moment, they were both completely helpless as they watched one of their best friends carted off to only-Hetty-knows-where. They remained silent as they watched Deeks' face drop and then slowly shut off the lights in the bullpen. They could see the glint of the rusted old knife, still glimmering in his hand as he walked out.

Nell stared at the screen for a moment, as if trying to find a shred of sympathy in her mentor's features, but as she found none, shut it off. "Well…I-I'm headed off. Good night Eric." She gave him a quick hug, feeling needy at the moment.

How could Granger and Hetty do that so easily? She understood that Hetty probably had her reasons, she always did, but this time, it didn't feel like they could ever have been as implicating as the expressions on her friends faces.

She hated her job sometimes. Neither Kensi, nor Deeks, deserved that. They had finally, finally accepted each other. (God, it had taken them forever…on the upside, it won her free tickets to a day spa, courtesy of Michelle.) For that to be torn from them, it was almost surreal.

Eric slowly shut down after he heard the doors slide close with Nell's departure. Tucking his tablet away into his messenger bag, he made his way downstairs toward his car. Man, being an agent really sucked.

He thought about the idea of having his own pseudo-partner going on a mission, and he only finding out about it after she was already gone. His head and heart ached at the thought. He really hoped the waves were swell for the next couple of weeks.

Deeks would need a wake-up call.

He was plenty frightened of Hetty, but even he was ready to march into her office and demand an explanation. Surely there was someone else out there with the same skill set as Kensi that could have gotten the mission instead. They just reassembled the team for crying out loud!

The next morning, when they walked in and set up, Nell looked a little less together, and Eric seemed a little less willing to get the day started. He walked down the steps, and tried a whistle, determinedly not looking at the empty desk.

He didn't see Deeks. But, as Sam and Callen made their way up, he saw his surfer buddy drop his bag carelessly on Kensi's desk and make his way up the stairs, not even stopping to acknowledge Eric.

The threesome set about their duties, and Hetty rewarded Deeks with a temporary partner, a new agent called Sean.

Sean was reassigned by the end of the week.

Eric and Nell watch the team pass them by as their workdays got longer and Deeks slowly seemed to leave the bullpen less and less. Kensi's desk was emptied further and further, and if one saw the footage from upstairs, they would see the regression of the team.

Eric looked over at Nell. They both looked back at the screen, watching Deeks refuse another team trip and return to his paperwork. Nell slid panels along her tablet, unhooking it from the NCIS databases and reestablishing firewalls. Her fingers worked until she hit a picture of a friend that was slowly becoming a just a memory.

Eric looked over her shoulder at the picture. Eric hit the off button of the security tapes just as Nell shut off her tablet.

Deeks and Kensi both disappeared.

**Nell and Eric needed a spot. It seems our dear Nell is getting out there. Hmm...future Hetty maybe? Definitely X)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: LA**

3: Granger

When Hetty asked for the liaison position between LAPD and NCIS, Director Vance agreed immediately, why shouldn't he? Vance thought it was a great opportunity to get the local police ready and available if ever needed, and if it worked here, he would pursue the idea in several other stations.

However, they had very different ideas of a good cop. He had imagined a nice, seasoned veteran that would listen to the rules and help enforce them. But, having known Hetty, he really should not have gotten his hopes up. He was rewarded with a veteran that looked like he belonged at the vet.

He did have to admit (grudgingly) that Detective Deeks did bring a nice round off to the table. His undercover work was topped only by Callen, and his various switches within the precinct allowed him a versatile array of skills from which they could pull from. Deeks was not perfect, not even close to agent quality, but he definitely had potential.

Under the right wing, it could have worked.

But, then, Agent Blye snuck her way into yet another man's heart. He was aware of the growing attraction between the two. He was also aware that Blye would never act upon it with her father and her past experience with men still hanging over her head. But when she went to Hawaii, and slowly, but surely the pieces fell together, there was nothing holding her down.

She rose up to the detective's challenge. And they both succeeded.

As the missions got longer, and the team grew closer, their attraction became stronger. They could all see it. He had actually seen the pool going around, until he put a stop to it. The entire Ops crew had a place in the bet, but still, Granger could pretend there was nothing if they were professional about the romance.

He didn't like it, but Agent Blye and Detective Deeks made a very good team. His addition to the team increased their output fourteen percent. As long as they remained quiet about their interoffice relationships and it didn't affect the team, he was fine with it. He didn't care as long as it stayed out of their jobs.

Granger should have suspected though. He should have known that when the beautiful brunette meets the blond surfer, in California, working day in and day out, it was inevitable.

Hetty had been up to something all along. Even after all these games, all these tricks, she still had something new to surprise him with. She had planned for this to happen. He wasn't blind, regardless of how the team perceived him.

He really didn't mind being the enemy, if that was what was necessary to complete this mission and get Agent Blye's head in the game. But secretly, he thought about the enigma that was Henrietta Lange. She was dangerous alright.

She was their closest friend, but she had just become their biggest enemy.

**I JAZZ...I feel Granger is very misunderstood. I kinda hate him, but I understand his position. Sucks for him though.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: LA**

4: Kensi

When she first walked out of her home, she thought, "Damn it, I'm going to be gone in some unknown region for who knows how long."

When she reached that unknown region, she found it quite known. Though she had never been there specifically, her father had, in his training days, and she knew people here.

It just wasn't the people she wanted to know.

They set her up in temporary house, but encouraged her to buy an apartment, since she was going to be here indefinitely. They wanted her to stay here, build a fake life that only she knew was fake.

In her mind, an indefinite mission meant she would never see her new boyfriend again. He would wait as long as he possibly could, that's just who he was. But then, he would meet a wonderful woman, and they would be over without her even knowing they were and when she came back, her Twinkies drawer would be filled with pictures of them together, with a beautiful blond haired, blue-eyed baby boy that called him 'Dad'.

She would hold strong in front of him, tell him it was okay and that she knew it would happen and that, yes, she would be the godmother, because there's no way her Marty wouldn't try to compensate for a lost relationship he felt he was the cause of. She would fall in love with their new house, and the baby boy as much as she was terrible around children because he should have been hers.

Sam and Callen would know about their relationship, and how it could have become more, but understand Deeks' position when he left her. They would comfort her and Sam would try and set her up with some SEAL buddies because his baby sister deserved to be happy too.

Callen would be dealing with his own issues, but he would still find time to drink a beer with her and stop her from leaving with strangers he knew she would regret and take her home. He would sit on the couch and let her get ready for bed, different from Deeks, who would have helped her and then slept with her if she so desired. He would tell her that she would get better, and then close the door behind him and leave.

Nell would pity her, but be too busy in her own relationships; she saw the looks tossed between Nell and Eric. They would have girls' nights, and slowly those would disappear and fade into team nights, and Marty would be too busy with his new life and never come, and she would never go, and slowly, those too would fade away into nothingness.

She would go home to a dusty house that really wasn't home anymore and sit among the new unwashed laundry in the bathroom and cry. She would run out of tears and wash her face, and buck up to go to another day and repeat the cycle until mercy finally befell her and she was killed in action trying to protect what she had lost.

She knew loss well. Very well, and it seemed It liked to play chess with her life. She threw away her dead plant, cleaned out her fridge and pantry into salvation army bags, threw her clothes into a laundry basket she knew Deeks would come in to take care of, locked her house, and got into the car with Granger. She thought about what she had packed into her duffel bag: clothes, toiletries, one blanket, and Deeks favorite pair of sunglasses. She had left her father's knife to him, in case indefinitely meant forever.

That's how long she was willing to wait.

**Hey, Jazz here! Don'tcha just love me right now? Honestly, this one was the first one I wrote and really my favorite one. It was all the confusion I felt when I watched it all go down. What do ya'll think?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: LA**

5: Deeks

He stared at the worn leather in his cold hands. He sat on the beach, alone, with no jacket on. He felt like a petulant child, but a part of him felt vindictive when he refused to listen to Hetty.

It was the little things.

According to Eric, he had missed Kensi by two minutes. That was it. Two minutes that she couldn't have stayed for. Then again, Hetty probably planned it that way.

Sometimes, he wasn't sure if Hetty wanted them together, or as far apart as possible. He loved Hetty, she was a wonderful, albeit dangerous, woman that cared enough for him to see that he fit in at NCIS in a way he hadn't anywhere else. But, what happened today, he was sure it was a test.

And he had so horribly failed.

He wondered when she would reach her unknown location. Was it hot, cold? Were there people there, food, shelter? Was there someone who would protect her like he had these past years?

He knew what going undercover and special missions did to people. They latched onto the others that were there with them. Desires of want fell into place and relationships grew. You couldn't have that same bond with someone who had never been through the same experience, had lived it with you.

By the time she came back, she could have moved on. Decided it wasn't worth all the wait to try and let their relationship grow. The wound would have festered too long, become infected, red and swollen and be too broken to fix.

He would be forced to move on, but he wouldn't be able to, and the Twinkies in his drawer would get old and he'd throw them out, and just like that, they would be over without ever getting the chance to actually start.

He slowly got up, dusted away the sand and made his way home, the dark thoughts still imbedded into his brain. He noticed the big cardboard box on top of the cabinet. The one Kensi had given him, with a smile and the promise that it had everything he could ever want.

Sadly enough, those had been better days. They were able to run around guns and dodge bullets and laugh at each other's miseries. The water that weighed them down was warm and comforting, life enriching and something unique.

All it was now was a lake with a layer of frost pretending to be ice, just waiting for him to take the first step. No matter how slowly he walked, it would break up around him, and fall apart. It wasn't a frozen lake. It was a death trap, and it had already pulled him under.

Monty whined when Deeks didn't smile at him. His master sat on the couch, and sensing the need for security, he dropped his head onto Deeks' lap. Absently, the surfer stroked his dog's fur. All he could think of was getting high off of lips coated with sugar, smelling gunpowder in her hair and sunshine on her skin.

He looked at the leathery sheath still in his left hand. He unhooked the button and slid the knife out, letting it blaze in the dim lamp light of his living room. Even if it was old, the knife shined like it was being pulled out for the first time.

He pushed it back into the brown leather. He sat there for a long while and for the first time since he was eleven, he closed his eyes, and thought about heaven. He prayed that it wasn't just a knife. It had to be more.

That it was a promise of happy endings, of sunshine and gunpowder, and of unfrozen summer lakes.

**Hiya :) This is my second favorite. I loved the sunshine/gunpowder thing so I brought it up here.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: LA**

6: Hetty

Seeing the same shirt as yesterday, and her partner's early entrance, it was clear that they were both hiding the same secret. It was almost childish, the way they blustered around each other at the first mention of it.

She almost smiled. She, personally, had never seen Kensi look so full, energized, or Deeks' eyes light the way they were that morning.

But, then, it turned dangerous. Mister Deeks had decided not to take the shot and Miss Blye only retorted angrily at the change in their dynamic. Suddenly, it wasn't cute anymore. It was new, untested waters that they were skimming.

Hetty created the rule for a reason, but all the same, she wanted it to work for her junior agents. But, if it wasn't going to, she had no choice.

Mister Deeks' went out of the way to protect his partner, going against protocol. Miss Blye, in turn, jumped out of the stakeout into full shooting mode without asking questions. They were perfect for each other, but too volatile to work.

She watched Mister Deeks' take the case too personally, and go undercover without any backup, armed only with a smile and a knife he wasn't used to carrying. She watched Miss Blye slap her partner in anger and rush into a shop full of guns, unprepared.

She couldn't watch it keep happening; this was only one case. The scales had been tipped too far, all at once.

With heavy heart, she watched Miss Blye give her father's knife to the man she had regrettably fallen in love with. She watched him take the knife and promise to come back. Even if Eric and Nell, nor Callen and Sam had heard it, she heard them promise to talk about their new thing.

She watched Miss Blye's expressions fail her when the folder dropped into her lap. She heard the pieces of a young heart scatter in the wind. She told herself all it was protection. A chance for them to cool off, away from each other. To clear their heads and come back when they were ready.

Hetty had approved of them. Magazines, innuendoes, gifts and all. Now, she would watch as she destroyed it all. To let love in, was to let your heart be destroyed.

She could only hope that it wasn't enough to push them over the edge.

**Ugh, I could have done so much better with this. But, hey short and succinct is all Hetty.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: LA. Get ready for my surprise guests. Now, this is technically a crossover, but since this is the only chapter in a series of one-shots, it still belongs in the NCIS: LA section. Thanks for understanding!**

7: Surprise Guest(s)

On Monday, he walked in, sat down, put his bag away and began typing until he noticed someone else was sitting in the desk across from him. That desk had been unoccupied for months now, and as much as it was selfish, he was glad about it. At first glance, he thought his partner had returned for a visit.

That desk meant too much to be used by another person. Slowly, he put on his best smile, "Hi! And you are?"

Her mismatched eyes pointedly looked at him, but she didn't answer. Instead, she seemed much more focused on his smile. Yes, he knew it was glittering, but he didn't think it warranted that much attention-wait, did he have something stuck there; he knew he shouldn't have eaten that spinach-feta croissant.

"Hello? Special Agent Tony DiNozzo at your service. You have a name?"

She flinched, but it was so subtle, he almost didn't pick it up. "My name's Kensi. Kensi Blye. NCIS."

Before he could think of a way to run her out of the building, Gibbs walked in, carrying his customary cup of coffee. "Blye, you're finally in."

"Yeah. Granger already informed me of my mission here. I'm to help with the new case."

"We have a new case Boss?" McGee asked.

"Yes, McGee. Up in MTAC. Just Blye and I, you two behave." He spoke to the pair like they were children, and Tony watched as the gorgeous woman followed silently.

"Wow, she's beautiful," he commented after they were left alone.

McGee shook his head, "You've known her for five minutes, DiNozzo."

"So have you."

McGee shook his head, "She's part of Agent Callen's team. You know, when Gibbs and I went after…" he trailed off.

Tony looked at his computer, and silently thought. It wasn't often he used the word beautiful for anyone; the last person had been Je…he stopped that train of thought.

After both he and McGee had finished paperwork, exhausted both Abby and Ducky related distractions, and they were still in MTAC, he was getting extremely punchy. Resorting to throwing paper balls at McGee, he watched as half of them made it into the trash, mimicking cheering every time he did so.

"Tony, stop it, I'm trying to concentrate here!" his partner chided.

"So am I," Tony stated seriously, looking at the ball in his hand and then the trash can, "I want to beat my record of twenty three baskets."

"Tony…"

"What, McGee? It's not like…" he dropped the ball on his desk when he felt his radar go off, "Hiya, Boss, meeting in MTAC over?"

He heard muffled snickers, and decided that while she had a lovely laugh, he preferred a throatier sound, like the one held by his ex-partner. He winced when a rough hand made contact with his head, pretending it hurt more than it did.

"So," he continued as if nothing had happened when he gained no reaction from either teammate's. "You never told us why you're here, Miss Kensi Blye," he stressed the miss when he spotted no ring on her finger.

Not that that hadn't been a lie before.

She ignored him. She simply opened the new folder in her hand and sat in Ziva's old desk.

A month passed, and none of them, but Gibbs, had talked to their new teammate more so than necessary. Tony flirted, she ignored it. McGee asked her a question, and she painfully deflected it. Abby had been intrigued, but disappointed when all of her files were sealed and she was warned not to pursue it any further.

Tony noticed, one day, when three photos made appearances on the corkboard. Slightly obscured by the multitude of papers, he spotted them by their wear and tear marks.

One looked like her father, most likely, and he was tall and proud in his uniform. Former military brat, then. The next picture, was five men, and two women, including herself. They seemed to be at a bar. A table held a variety of drinks in the background. Three of the older looking men (one he noticed was Agent Callen), were talking about something, while the four younger, Kensi, a redhead and two surfer blond types were all holding cups to their faces.

Her friends. He glimpsed the last photo, but scurried back when he realized she was returning. Tony though about the picture. It looked, at least in his quick glance, like the scruffier blond in the previous photo, and an even scruffier dog, both smiling at the camera.

Inter-team romance. He knew what that was like.

It looked like Rule 12 had broken yet another agent.

He could only hope his new teammate would get the second chance he had lost.

**Jazz here. So, how do you think it went? Tiva is lost, so I felt I should bring it up in Densi. Yes, I did just use their couple names. Do you think I should another chapter? Technically it's done, but...you know.**

**OH yeah, before I forget, I don't own NCIS either.**


End file.
